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Prehistory: The Years Before the Web

For years, publishers of newspapers, magazines and other print products have been fascinated
with the idea of delivering information electronically. In contrast to conventional printing
on paper, delivery by computer and other means seemed to offer several benefits both to
producer and consumer.

First, the ever-escalating costs of paper and postage (or newspaper delivery) could
be eliminated. Over the years, those costs had forced publications to greatly increase
their prices and even helped force some publications (most notably Life and Look) out of
existence.

Second, information could be disseminated to readers much more quickly than it could
in printed publications.
The bulk of information in a daily newspaper is at least 12 hours old; articles in a monthly
magazine are often written three or four months before they're published.

Until recently, however, electronic delivery often has received only a lukewarm reception
from readers. The earliest attempt at delivering news over computers came in the early 1980s
with a technology known as videotex . For a monthly fee  and possibly a hefty charge
for equipment  subscribers could read their daily newspapers on their television sets
or computer screens. But the low-quality
images and slow scrolling made online reading anything but fun  and delivery of the
actual newspaper was usually cheaper. Videotex died a relatively rapid death. Teletext, a similar technology that was delivered
by broadcast signal to televisions, fared no better.

During the next decade, publications turned to
several other means of delivering information electronically. Some hooked
up with online services such as CompuServe and America Online.
Others experimented with fax editions and computer bulletin boards.
A range of media companies tried their hands at producing CD-ROMs,
delivering information by satellite and email, N11
services (using three-digit phone numbers like 911) and a number
of other methods.